You’re an Action Figure: 3D Printing Celebrates Ghostbusters

Timed perfectly with the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters — a classic movie series that has inspired Halloween costumes for decades — 3D Systems has developed a new service that can print anyone’s face onto a Ghostbusters figurine. It’s a forward-thinking idea for Columbia Pictures, who partnered with the printing company to develop this unique collectible. 3D Systems has offered their 3DMe service like this for more than a year now, but previously, the company teamed up to make NBA and Star Trek action figures.

This is the first time that they’ve offered a collectible based on a movie franchise, and it makes an excellent prelude to Ghostbusters III! Bringing back legendary director Ivan Reitman and actors Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver, it’s a long-awaited reunion that many moviegoers are excited for. Hopefully it will pay respects to recently deceased actor Harold Ramis and honor the story in a tasteful, fun way. There’s also a lot of talk recently about director Paul Feig’s all-female reboot of the series, which he says will have a cast of “hilarious women.” Feig previously directed Bridesmaids, so the guy knows what he’s talking about.

Back to the action figure — with the browser-based 3DMe platform, users can map a highly detailed image of their face onto the figurine, then choose from four poses, 20 different hairstyles, and 10 hair colors. Almost instantly, you’ll see a realistic version of yourself dressed in the iconic grey jumpsuit and backpack. The 3DMe app uses augmented reality creation tools to achieve such an uncanny result. Made of a matte material called Cubify Colorstone that has the texture of ceramic, the 3D printers that make these figurines are able to use many different colors.

For those in the UK: this June, the Asda supermarket also started offered a, which scans your entire body and then fabricates the results with a specialized printer. Unlike the film tie-in figurines, this machine will print a spitting image of…you, complete with your messy haircut, trendy clothes, and tattooed arms. If you’re making a funny face when the camera works its magic, it’ll be the same face that goes on your figure. The current full-body scan takes about 12 seconds and processes instantly. Then, you have the choice between a four-inch figure (starting at $70) and a 12-inch figure (around $200).

Right now, a custom Ghostbusters figurine will set you back $69.99 (or £43.39), plus shipping. If Ghostbusters isn’t your favorite (and I’m sorry if that’s the case), the company also offers a similar service with pirates, princesses, cowboys, and other fanciful designs. The 3DMe figurines are available on 3D System’s consumer content site Cubify.com. Now if only they made Star Wars characters to wage an imaginary battle with the …